The nondescript title of this exhilarating track from 1980's Flesh & Blood gives absolutely no indication of the pure joy to be derived from its majestic chorus alone. In fact, come to think of it, it's amazing to me that as many times as pop music artists have conceived choruses over the years, they still have the ability to come up with melodies capable of bringing listeners back from the darkest depths no matter how suffocated and defeated they may have felt moments earlier. This transcendent Bryan Ferry composition, to me, projects such a light when it breaks into one of the loveliest choruses of the '80s: "There's a band playing on the radio, with a rhythm of rhyming guitars." It's a spine-tingling moment, one of those sublimely rare musical occasions that just happens to perfectly mirror one of the song's later lyrics, which spotlights music's uncanny knack at "drowning the sounds" of one's tears.

The timing of this entry turns out to be quite fortuitous, as just last night I went to see the Swell Season (Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from the acclaimed film Once and their backing band) and, among other wonderful things, experienced this very same melodic genius in the group's passionate performances of tunes based on often remarkably simple melodies. I probably could have distilled this entry down to just a few words that pretty much say it all, but there is nobility in trying to express the inexpressible. Damn, I love music.

• Compare prices on Roxy Music's Flesh & Blood here.
• Compare DVD prices for Once here.
• Compare prices on the original soundtrack to Once here.

Now that I've touched on the vast majority of artists that spring to mind fairly universally when enthusiasts consider the decade's sonic offerings, I seem to have reached an intriguing stage of my tenure as your '80s Music Guide. Now I get to focus on the mid-level artists whose careers tend to go unnoticed in retrospect, especially in terms of consistency of output. I 've already compiled a hearty short-list of artists that fit into that category and are due some attention, and in many ways I feel that now I'm really getting to the fun part. After all, XTC, Dokken and Sheena Easton, to name but a few, were most definitely more than bit players in the decade's variegated musical scene, and it's nice to be able to champion their contributions.

Speaking of Easton, about whom I've already clearly stated a personal affinity on multiple occasions on this site, I was truly impressed in reviewing her career to realize just how consistent and versatile she was as a mainstream pop vocalist. A survey of her catalogue swiftly reveals that in a decade of persistent shifts in taste, Easton remained a solid, mid-major draw who often ignored trends in favor of her own singular path. The singer seemed to come by her dabbling pop music approach honestly, which combined well with her extremely photogenic appearance to create an ever-shining '80s star if never a volatile, explosive pop supernova.

• Sheena Easton Profile
• Top 8 Sheena Easton Songs of the '80s
• Compare prices on Sheena Easton CDs here.

Photo Courtesy of Disky Records